Working on a Cruise Ship.....Dream or Nightmare?
By cupcakes84
@cupcakes84 (104)
United States
December 11, 2009 11:44pm CST
I have been throwing around the idea of taking my certifications from beauty school from land to sea. I got the idea from a classmate that was from England and told me about an agency called Steiner that trained and send out spa employees to the different spa locations on the cruise ships. I looked it up and it looks amazing: free lodging, free training, see the world for free, free meals and you get paid! But with all those pros you know there had to be some cons: the first contract is for 9 months straight, you have no control over picking your first ship or route, 10-14 hour work days, 6-7 days of work a week, very small cabins you sleep in with co-workers, you have to stay in uniform at all times, very little down time and privacy. Through research im finding out if you not a people person, you dont like water or being away from home months at a time, and you dont like discipline this probably isnt a career choice for you. But i think its more of an opportunity than anything and is very hard to ignore or pass up. It can definitely build your resume, people skills, and perfect your craft.Does a cruise ship job seem more like a dream or a nightmare to you?
8 responses
@cupcakes84 (104)
• United States
12 Dec 09
Career Path is 50/50 a job at sea would make for a great resume but on land i would be able to continue the schooling and raise my income at the same time as working so im in the middle with it. Either way it would make for a good career choice. Thanx for responding ;0)
@nautilus33 (1827)
•
12 Dec 09
Hi! I think it's both. The best side is, that you can see and visit many countries and that you always "abroad". The negative side is that if you have any family, you will not see them with months and also if you haven't you can't also have any.
@cupcakes84 (104)
• United States
12 Dec 09
Yes, a really big con for me becuse im close with my family so that would be really hard for me because ive never been away from them for months. Just another thing im going to have to factor into my decision. Thanx for the response ;0)
@maximax8 (31053)
• United Kingdom
12 Dec 09
Life on the sea would be work and then spending time in staff cabins. Would it give you any chance to see the destinations? Typically a cruise ship might arrive at 9 in the morning and many of the passengers would go off on tours of the destination. If you felt miserable you wouldn't be able to get away from the situation. I hope that you don't suffer from sea sickness. I guess an cruise ship would be large and stable. I think it would suit a person that doesn't mind being away from home and enjoys doing beauty treatments. I am a keen independent traveler so that sort of job wouldn't suit me. Good luck if you apply for it.
@cupcakes84 (104)
• United States
12 Dec 09
Just trying to weigh out the pros and cons its really hard because i've never been at sea and dont know how i will feel? But thanx for your response every little bit helps.
@scottcoleson (578)
• Pilot Mountain, North Carolina
14 Dec 09
I have actually thought about this before. When I took a cruise a few years back, I was thinking about how cool it would be to work on a cruise ship and travel to all kinds of different places. I hadn't really thought about some of the downside before though. It would be a great gig if you were able to see the sites and maybe had a little more time to do things for yourself. But it really sounds too much like all work and no play. I love cruise ships and I love travel, but I honestly think that working on a cruise ship would be more of a chore than actually being fun, unless you had more free time to do the other stuff.
@seaman22 (16)
• Serbia And Montenegro
11 Jan 10
Ok...i see where you are coming from...i've been there long time ago and i need to be honest with you...i made it where i am right now...I am still working on the ship after 5 years!!!However..i start as a shoppie in the gift shop onboard the Carnival Cruise line..and then change it to Norwegian Cruise line...different company thi=ough..same job..Met a lot of people who work for Steiner and heard different stories...The question is what kind of job you are interesting in...since they all have diferent job descriptions and with that different work conditions...Give me some more info so we can talk further...they all agree that the money is great...perfect oportunity to see thae world...cheers
@ybong007 (6643)
• Philippines
14 Dec 09
I think it's more of a nightmare but the pay is good. I heard it from friends that it's very hard if you work on a cruise ship. It's heaven for those who are on vacation but a nightmare for those who are working. According to my friends it's all work, work and more work. Cheers!
@ybong007 (6643)
• Philippines
14 Dec 09
I think it's more of a nightmare but the pay is good. I heard it from friends that it's very hard if you work on a cruise ship. It's heaven for those who are on vacation but a nightmare for those who are working. According to my friends it's all work, work and more work. Cheers!
